From the Back Pages, May 17: Sepp Blatter admits choosing Qatar to host 2022 World Cup was ‘a mistake’

From the back pages

Published:22:48Friday 16 May 2014

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Sepp Blatter has admitted that it was “a mistake” to choose Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup because of the emirate’s sweltering summertime climate. (The Times)

Manchester City have reluctantly accepted a conditional £49m fine and restrictions on their European squad and incoming transfers under Uefa’s new financial fair play regime. (The Guardian)

Lionel Messi has agreed a new contract at Barcelona with the Argentina superstar set to become the world’s highest-paid player on £16.3million a year. (Daily Mail)

France coach Didier Deschamps has filed a civil law suit against Anara Atanes after her foul-mouth Twitter rant against him earlier this week. (The Mirror)

ARSENE WENGER won’t be short on job offers should he decide to leave Arsenal, that is according to the club’s former vice-chairman David Dein. (The Express)

From humble beginnings, Curtis Davies has risen to the upper echelons of English football, but he is still in touch with the man on the street. Or, in one recent instance, someone’s mum in the cafe. The 29-year-old will captain Hull City at Wembley on Saturday in the club’s first appearance in the FA Cup final. It will be the Tigers’ third visit to the national stadium in their 110-year history and Davies knows what it means to the locals, largely because they keep reminding him. (The Independent)

Anti-corruption detectives have identified 12 cricketers from around the world whom they suspect of match-fixing. They are at the heart of the wide-ranging investigation launched in the wake of evidence provided by former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent, and supplemented by other cricketers who are also now co-operating with investigators. (The Telegraph)